“Mom.”
“Okay, okay…it’s just…time flies. That’s all.”
I could practically feel the wave of parental adoration through the cell connection. Family was everything to Maya Murphy. It was pointless to remind her that I wasn’t a kid anymore and that she didn’t need to worry about me. Worrying was her default. She worried about Dad’s cholesterol, Ben’s stress level at his job, Simon’s ability to focus, and me…let’s just say I was her number one source of concern.
“I know,” I agreed, smiling at her satisfied hum.
“Listen, I wanted to let you know that Dad and I are in San Diego. Dad had a conference, and I decided to join him at the last minute. We’ll be home late Sunday. If you’re still without transportation, you’re welcome to use my car.”
“Thanks. Wow, that’s great. I may take you up on that.”
“Excellent. And you’ll find some chocolate chip cookies in the pantry.”
“Thanks, Mom. Tell Dad hi for me, and have fun.”
“I love you, Georgie. Talk to you later.”
“Love you too, Mom.”
I slipped my phone into my pocket, squinting when a familiar-looking car slowed at the curb. I hiked my computer bag higher on my shoulder and waited for the passenger window to roll down.
“George!”
Topher?
I hurried over to the BMW. “Is this Simon’s car?”
“Yes, I was supposed to meet him at the new house, but I got stuck at the lab and I ran into Ash, who asked me to pick you up because he has to work late.”
“Oh. Great.”
I jumped into the car and fastened my seat belt, taking a second to shake off the lingering sense of weirdness of one of my best friends driving my brother’s car…because he was also his boyfriend. The same boyfriend who was moving in with him in six weeks.
Changing perceptions wasn’t as easy as it should have been. New roles, new titles, new allegiances. Yes, I had a very real fear of change. And I didn’t want to lose the people I loved.
Topher checked the rearview mirror then steered toward the exit. “There’s one catch. We have to pick up Simon.”
“Where is he?”
“He’s with Aiden and Kenny at that bar on Colorado. I forget what it’s called, but there’s a big game…I think? It won’t take long.”
“That works out well. The bar is closer to my parents’ house. They’re out of town and kindly offered me use of their vehicle.”
“Is Aiden almost done with repairs?”
“I think so, but he’s been busy and I don’t want to pressure him.”
And I didn’t want “us” to be over. But Topher didn’t need to know that.
We fell into easy conversation like we always had. We talked about an annoying professor at school, new data from the Mars Rover, and Asher’s latest house rule about alphabetizing the pantry.
“I’m all for order, but that sounds a bit mad…even by Asher’s standards.” I snorted.
Topher snickered. “He enjoys living on the brink of insanity.”
“True.” I stared, unseeing, out the window. Twilight was hours away still, but I could feel the night settling in like a cloak being pulled from a closet. The air of expectation mingled with exhaustion and made my lips loose. “I bet you’re looking forward to moving into your new house.”
He didn’t say anything at first. But when traffic came to a dead stop on the freeway, he twisted to face me and smiled. The kind of smile that came from someplace deep inside. It was pure and lovely. It touched everything around him like a moonbeam.
“I am. But not to get away from you guys. I’m just…really excited to be with Simon.”
“I’m happy for both of you. Really.”
“Thanks. But if it feels strange sometimes between you and me…” he hedged. “I think that’s normal.”
“Everything’s fine, Toph. Don’t worry.” I flashed a reassuring smile his way, then went with the safest topic change I could come up with on the spot. “Did you hear anything new about the double asteroid redirection test?”
He kept his gaze forward, hesitating for a moment before responding. “Um, yeah. It’s still scheduled for July and…”
I settled against the leather upholstery and gave my full attention to a riveting discussion of a possible planetary defense technique.
Science was easy. Human interactions…not so much. Partial truths spelled disaster in a lab, but they were a norm in real life.
My truth—I was awkward, not jealous or resentful. I was a geek on borrowed time, trying to squirrel away every second possible with the only human who really seemed to get me before our “experiment” was over. Apparently, keeping secrets made Awkward Me stand out like a fly on a wedding cake.
And it occurred to me as we inched forward on the freeway that ending up in a bar with Topher, Simon, and Aiden might require serious acting chops. If so, I might be screwed.
8
Aiden
“And one,” Kenny yelled at the TV over the bar. “You’re missing a good game here, A. Lakers are up by two.”